1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements of a camera body which an imaging unit is attached to or detached from, an imaging unit which is attached to or detached from the camera body, and an imaging apparatus including a combination of the imaging unit and the camera body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an imaging apparatus in which an imaging unit is detachably attachable to a camera body has been known (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-354177, for example).
In this conventional imaging apparatus, a camera body has a housing recess to which an imaging unit is detachably attached to be housed therein. The housing recess includes a back wall section, and includes an upper wall section, a lower wall section and a side wall section which are integrally formed with the back wall section. In the camera body, an attachment/detachment opening is provided on the side far from the side wall section, the attachment/detachment opening being formed of the back wall section, the upper wall section, and the lower wall section.
In the conventional imaging apparatus, the imaging unit is housed in the camera body by placing the imaging unit in front of the attachment/detachment opening and pushing the imaging unit toward the side wall section along the back wall section. On the other hand, the imaging unit is removed from the camera body by pulling the imaging unit out in a direction away from the side wall section along the back wall section.
However, although the imaging apparatus is configured so that the imaging unit is attached to or detached from the camera body while being guided along the upper wall section and the lower wall section, the conventional imaging apparatus has a problem that it is difficult to accurately and smoothly connect the camera body and the imaging unit to each other when detaching and attaching the imaging unit to the camera body.
Therefore, the applicants have proposed a camera body and an imaging unit to be attached to and detached from the camera body, and an imaging apparatus (Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-254029) in which a connection of the camera body and the imaging unit can be accurately and smoothly performed.
The camera body disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-254029 has a structure such that the imaging unit is attachable to and detachable from the camera body. The camera body includes a recess to which the imaging unit is detachably attached to be placed therein. The imaging unit includes an optical system configured to guide light incoming from a subject, an image pickup device configured to convert a subject image guided by the optical system into an electrical signal and an imaging unit connector section configured to perform communication with outside. The recess includes a back wall section, an upper wall section, and a side wall section to be opened to three directions; a lower side, a front side, and a lateral side of the camera body. The back wall section faces a rear of the imaging unit when the imaging unit is attached to the camera body, the upper wall section faces a topside of the imaging unit when the imaging unit is attached to the camera body and is connected to the back wall section, and the side wall section faces a side surface of the imaging unit when the imaging unit is attached to the camera body and is connected to the back wall section and the upper wall section.
In the camera body, since the recess is open to the three directions; the lower side, the front side, and the lateral side, a degree of freedom in attaching the imaging unit to the camera body and a degree of freedom in detaching the imaging unit from the camera body are high. Therefore, when the imaging unit is attached to or detached from the camera body, the imaging unit or the camera body or both may be damaged somehow.
Specifically, in order to obtain a secure fixation when the imaging unit is attached to the camera body, if the structure in which a projected engagement claw for fixing the imaging unit and the camera body is provided on either the imaging unit or the camera body is applied, the engagement claw may abut on the other one of the imaging unit and the camera body somehow and may damage either one of the imaging unit and the camera body by a friction or the like at the time of a sliding operation as an attaching operation of the imaging unit to the camera body. Also, in the same way, either one of the imaging unit and the camera body may be damaged when the imaging unit is detached from the camera body.
That is to say, in the imaging apparatus of this kind, because the recess is open to the three directions; the lower side, the front side and the lateral side and because the degree of freedom of attaching and detaching the imaging unit and the camera body is high, a quality of an manipulation of the attaching and detaching may be degraded.